This application relates generally to navigation. More specifically, the disclosure provided herein relates to a providing navigation route updates.
Users sometimes use global positioning system (“GPS”) devices to navigate to a destination point or other geographic location. Similarly, users sometimes use various mapping software to plan trips or routes, and/or in conjunction with GPS devices to navigate to or between various geographic locations. Because navigation using GPS devices and/or mapping software has become popular with consumers, GPS capabilities and/or mapping software applications are sometimes included in various consumer goods such as vehicles, smartphones, and/or other products.
Generally speaking, existing GPS devices and/or mapping software applications store detailed map data that represents roads, public transit routes, hiking trails, biking trails, or the like, as well as detailed geographic location information. The GPS devices and/or mapping software can use the map data to determine one or more routes between two or more geographic locations. When navigating, users or application settings can provide preferences with respect to how routes are calculated and/or presented to users.
In some instances, for example, GPS devices and/or mapping software may calculate multiple routes between geographic locations. A first route may be calculated based upon a shortest distance between the geographic locations. A second route may be calculated as a route expected to consume the least time to complete, even if longer than a shortest route. Other routes also can be calculated based upon other considerations such as, for example, routes that pass or encounter desired waypoints, routes that avoid toll roads, scenic routes, routes that rely primarily upon freeways or interstate highways, routes that avoid freeways or interstate highways, and/or routes based upon other preferences or considerations.
Some GPS devices and/or mapping software are configured to present and/or consider traffic information when generating routes for users. The traffic information may be based on historical traffic information along the route and/or may be obtained from traffic information providers at various time intervals. In either case, the traffic information may or may not be current and as a result, users often discover that traffic conditions provided by a GPS-enabled device or mapping software are not accurate representations of actual traffic conditions. Thus, routes generated by GPS devices and/or mapping software based upon traffic information may not be optimized for real traffic conditions. Additionally, other considerations relied upon when generating routes may be outdated and/or unreliable, while some reliable sources of such information may be unavailable to these devices or software and therefore may not be relied upon at all.